Ondo State Police have arrested three suspected human traffickers led by a Togolese national and rescued victims from a trafficking den in Akure
Ondo Police Arrest Togolese-Led Human Trafficking Syndicate, Rescue Victims in Akure
The Ondo State Police Command has arrested three suspected human traffickers, led by a Togolese national, and rescued several victims from an alleged trafficking den in Akure, the state capital.
The development was disclosed on Tuesday in a statement issued by the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Jimoh Abayomi, and made available to journalists in Akure.
According to the police, the arrest followed an intensive investigation into a suspected human trafficking syndicate operating in Oda town, within Akure South Local Government Area of the state.
Abayomi revealed that the case dates back to June 2024, when a 30-year-old Togolese national, John Apiah, relocated to Oda under the guise of working as a hair stylist. During his stay, Apiah allegedly met two young women, Blessings Assiah (22) and Laro Larisa (21), with whom he later rented a one-room and parlour self-contained apartment belonging to a landlord identified as Owoeye (40).
Police investigations uncovered that Apiah allegedly used the two women to lure unsuspecting victims with false promises of securing international passports and American visas. Victims were reportedly defrauded of large sums of money before being kept under suspicious conditions.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that John Apiah, a Togolese national, conspired with the two women to defraud victims under the pretext of facilitating travel documents,” Abayomi stated.
The police said the suspects allegedly collected 600,000 CFA francs from Charity Paketerima (27), 500,000 CFA francs from Mohammed Assiah (25), and another 500,000 CFA francs from Kanate Dekadja (35).
After collecting the money, the victims were initially accommodated in a hotel before being relocated to the rented apartment in Oda town, where they were allegedly held in questionable circumstances.
Acting on credible intelligence, operatives of the Ondo State Police Command stormed the location, rescued the victims, and arrested the three suspects.
Reacting to the development, the Commissioner of Police in Ondo State, CP Adebowale Lawal, cautioned landlords and property owners to always conduct thorough background checks on prospective tenants to prevent their properties from being used for criminal activities.
He reaffirmed the command’s determination to combat human trafficking and other trans-border crimes, while urging residents to cooperate with the police by providing timely and credible information to enhance security across the state.
